'Nawaz Sharif knew about Kargil misadventure'

Lahore, Jun 14: Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was aware of the situation in Kargil in 1999 through the then Defence Secretary who had briefed him on the situation, a senior Pakistan Army official has said.

The book, "Crossed Swords", by former Army Chief Asif Nawaz's brother Shuja Nawaz, quotes Lieutenant General (retired) Khawaja Ziauddin as saying that Sharif was "in the loop". If the account were correct, it conflicted with Sharif's denials that he was not aware of what Musharraf and his generals had planned during Kargil.

"It backs Musharraf's contention that 'everyone was on board' during the Kargil misadventure," the report adds. Shuja's interview with Ziauddin, who was Inter-Services Intelligence boss during Kargil, also reveals that Mullah Muhammad Rabbani, then Afghan President in 1999, offered Pakistan 500,000 Afghan volunteers for the Kashmir 'jihad, the Daily Times reported.